The present invention relates generally to trash collection, and, more particularly, to an improved pan for use in connection with trash receptacles.
Getting yard, workshop debris, and industrial by-product waste into a plastic bag or can for disposal is a problem. This debris includes leaves, bush and hedge trimmings, straw, weeds, bedding materials, sticks, sawdust, wood scraps, plastic dust, trimmings, or other industrial by-product. The effort requires squatting, bending and leaning, which can cause sore back and leg muscles.
Traditional cleanup equipment, such as dustpans and plastic bags, does not work effectively; debris spills from dustpans resulting in frustration. Cleanup is dirty, time-consuming work. Once a plastic bag is filled, it must be moved to another location for disposal. Filed bags are heavy and cumbersome and often, bags will tear or break open.
There are several devices that are intended to facilitate movement of wastes into trash receptacles. In particular, there is the patent issued to Jensen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,258, which teaches a modified dustpan that could be used with a cylindrical trash receptacle or used as a regular dustpan. As such, it must fill two quite different, somewhat conflicting requirements and falls short of being ideal for use with a trash receptacle. For example, it has no internal structures that prevent debris, once having been swept into the pan, from sliding out of the top of the container. As another example, the handle makes it more difficult to sweep debris into the container.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved device for filling trash receptacles that overcomes the limitations and shortcomings of the prior art trash collecting devices.